#Chapter 185 – It’ll take a Village

Lila I sat stiff on the edge of the chair, every sense straining, the fever had broken but a new dread crawled under my skin. The outside had gone quiet. Even the insects had become silent, and that only meant one thing out here: something bigger was hunting. Ronan had already noticed. His hand was on the hilt of his blade, body coiled, eyes fixed on the shutters as though he could see through the wood. “Stay here,” he murmured, voice low and hard. My chest tightened. “Ronan—” “Stay. Here.” His tone didn’t allow me to argue. Then he was gone, the door swinging quietly shut behind him. The stillness shattered seconds later with the sound of claws raking against bark and a growl that made my blood freeze. I staggered to the window crack, heart pounding, and saw Ronan in the clearing, one male against three Rogues. He met them head-on, blade flashing as he tore into the first. His movements were brutal with the kind of violence born from decades of training. But for e